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Took a Level In Kindness: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say, that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."''|''[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Literaturenovel)|How the Grinch Stole Christmas]]''}}
 
A [[Jerkass]] softens over time, and becomes either a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]] or not a jerk at all. Usually this can be due to [[Character Development]]. [[Badass Decay]] and [[Heel Face Turn]] may be involved as well. In some cases this may be a case of [[Characterisation Marches On]]; as the series progresses, the writers realised that a nicer character fit the changing tone better than the original idea.
 
If done over the course of one episode or short-story, this may have been to set up an Aesop.
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* Ken from ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]'' after his [[Heel Face Turn]]. Particularly appropriate in that Kindness was always intended to be his Crest from the beginning.
** Also Rika from ''[[Digimon Tamers]]'' gradually becomes less cold-hearted and friendlier towards Takato, Henry, and the other games.
* Syaoran Li of ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura (Manga)|Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' evolves from an [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]] with [[Tsundere]] qualities to [[Shrinking Violet|meek and soft natured]] [[Dogged Nice Guy]] for Sakura. Meiling of the anime adaption goes through a similar evolution. Both cases are largely due to Sakura's own increasingly [[Friend to All Living Things|empathic]] and [[Moe|innocent]] aspects (though granted, she was already rather sweet natured by the start of the series' run).
* In ''[[Haibane Renmei]]'', this is an important part of {{spoiler|Reki's}} character development. {{spoiler|Realizing that she has done this is what allows her to escape the [[Epiphanic Prison]].}}
* Kyouko from ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Anime)|Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' starts as an [[Ax Crazy]] [[Jerkass]]. But after learning {{spoiler|the [[Awful Truth]] about what ultimately happens to magical girls}}, she starts showing her [[Hidden Heart of Gold]], more specifically towards {{spoiler|Sayaka Miki}}.
* Guts of ''[[Berserk]]'', upon finding Casca again and gaining new [[True Companions]], has begun abandoning his cold, ruthless and vengeful Black Swordsman persona in favor of something resembling his original nature for the first time since the Eclipse. Mind you, he still has a rather nasty [[Enemy Within]] to deal with due to the vendetta that he was on for two years.
** Even better would be Farnese, who was once a cold, [[Knight Templar]], [[Pyromaniac]] who wanted nothing more than to burn people at the stake for her own satisfaction and to see Guts dead. But after the events at the Tower of Conviction, and wanting to [[The Atoner|atone for her past actions by following Guts]], she has grown considerably kinder and is even shown to being [[Kuudere|sort of naive and manipulable]].
* Gary Oak/Shigeru in ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]'' becomes much nicer to Ash around the Johto arc after his [[Break the Haughty]] phase in the Kanto arc. By the end of the Johto arc, he and Ash finally become friends again after so many years to being rivals (which sticks when they meet again in Sinnoh).
* This is the driving force behind the plot of ''[[Onani Master Kurosawa]]'': A cynical jerk who sequesters himself from the rest of the world softens over time, beginning with {{spoiler|his falling in love for the first time}} and ultimately culminating in {{spoiler|him becoming [[The Atoner]] after he [[My God, What Have I Done?|realizes that he's badly hurt one of his few friends.]]}}
* Nami from ''[[One Piece]]''. Gradually as the series has gone on, but especially after the timeskip. From forgiving Hachi, to immediately hugging Usopp and Chopper when they reunite, to even immediately forgiving Jinbei for letting Arlong loose on East Blue, she's come a pretty long way from the [[Jerkass Facade]] she started out with.
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== Fan Fiction ==
* ''[[Calvin and Hobbes: The Series (Fanfic)|Calvin and Hobbes The Series]]''' iteration of Calvin is much more likely to do the right thing than [[Calvin and Hobbes|his comic counterpart.]]
* In ''[[The Best Night Ever (Fanfic)|The Best Night Ever]]'', a core focus of the story is Prince Blueblood [[Character Development|taking several levels in kindness]].
 
 
== Films -- Live-Action ==
* The film ''Son Of [[Godzilla]]'' is the start of showing the King Of The Monster's more loving fatherly side. Especially towards the end where he {{spoiler|embraces his new son to keep him from freezing to death.}}
* In ''[[Bad Santa (Filmfilm)|Bad Santa]]'', the main character starts being a complete [[Jerkass]], but eventually becames a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]].
 
 
== Literature ==
* The Grinch, from ''[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Literaturenovel)|How the Grinch Stole Christmas]]'', provides the page quote.
* Ebeneezer Scrooge from ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''.
* [[Handsome Lech|Prince Garrid]] from Tales of the Frog Princess, a [[Ladykiller in Love]], became a genuinely better person [[Love Redeems|so he could be with Li'l.]]
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* Happens a lot in the ''[[Chalet School]]'' series. Girls who start off as bitchy, sulky or standoffish will often come to learn the error of their ways and become nicer people after being introduced to the ways of the school, or getting a good ticking-off from one of the mistresses. And if that doesn't work, there's always a handy accident; for instance, Eustacia Benson injures her back after running away from the school, is confined to a wheelchair for some time and becomes a much nicer person.
* ''[[Peter Pan]] in Scarlet'' takes it for granted that Slightly, formerly a condescending, cowardly little snob, grew up to be kind, sensitive and "as gentle as a lamb". Of course, the original novel and the various drafts of the play implied that Slightly had his ego brought down to size after the boys left Neverland, and in ''Peter Pan in Scarlet'' {{spoiler|he's recently been widowed}}, so suffering probably sweetened him a little.
* [[Harry Potter (Literaturenovel)|James Potter]] started out as [[The Bully]] and then eventually became[[Class Representative|Head Boy]] in his seventh year.
* Matteo in ''[[Someone Else's War (Literature)|Someone Elses War]]'', who goes from a snobby, condescending brat to a loving young man who will risk his life and compromise his ideals if it means saving his friends.
 
 
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== Videogames ==
* Riku from [[Kingdom Hearts]] goes from [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]] to [[Rival Turned Evil]] in the first game, but at the end snaps out of it and spends [[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]] as [[The Atoner]].
* Duncan from ''[[Dragon Age Origins]]'': In a universe as dark and depressing as Dragon Age can be, right from the start of the game Duncan is a beacon of hope before the player becomes one. {{spoiler|Unfortunately, he doesn't last very long.}}
** If he survived the first game, [[Hitman Withwith a Heart|Zevran]] has been spending most of the time frame that [[Dragon Age II]] encompasses only killing the [[Murder, Inc.|Crows]] that try to track him down. Okay, nothing too new, and Zevran was always much more [[Hidden Heart of Gold|laid-back]] than one would expect from an ex-assassin, but {{spoiler|then when the Dalish offer him sanctuary in Act 3, he turns them down to hide out in the nearby caves so that none of them will get caught in the crossfire.}} Considering this is the man who casually admitted he [[Token Evil Teammate|enjoyed killing]] ([[Even Evil Has Standards|to an extent]]) and has killed innocents, or gotten them killed through his actions more than once, in the first game, this is quite the [[Character Development]].
* Somewhere between [[Ratchet and& Clank 2002 (Videovideo Gamegame)|Ratchet & Clank]] and [[Ratchet and Clank Going Commando|Going Commando]] Ratchet [[Rescued From the Scrappy Heap|evolved]] from being a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]] (and something of [[The Scrappy]]) to a generally nice (if not rather [[Deadpan Snarker|snarky]]) protagonist. Some fans accredit this to [[James Arnold Taylor]] [[The Other Darrin|becoming his voice actor]].
** No, that was near the end of the first game where he realized he was being a jerk after finding out that {{spoiler|Drek was targeting his home planet.}}
* The rival Silver from [[Pokémon]] could count as this. He goes from a cruel, harsh person, but eventually becomes friendlier towards the player and his own Pokemon- to the point where his Golbat evolves into a Crobat after reaching high happiness.
* [[Deadpan Snarker|Midna]] from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'' starts off as ''very'' selfish, pushy, and [[Not in This For Your Revolution|only out to save her own world]], without really caring about Hyrule. After seeing the kindness and bravery of Hyrule's people -especially [[The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask|Princess Zelda]]- she evolves into more of a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]].
* Also from the Zelda series is Groose from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]]''. He starts off as a typical arrogant and pompous [[Jerk Jock]] who has it in for Link, but at one point he follows Link to the land below the clouds and witnesses Link fighting and resealing the game's [[Sealed Evil in Aa Can]]. Though he's at first disillusioned over his own apparent uselessness, he comes to respect Link and begins to grow considerably more noble, even becoming a crucial ally to Link in a number of boss battles.
* In the first two games of the [[Mass Effect (Video Game)|Mass Effect]] series, Turian Councilor Sparatus is an ass to Shepard and to humans in general. Come the third game, when it's been made clear that Shepard was utterly correct all along, he is the first one of the trio to provide Shepard aid in the form of vital intel, and is the only one of the three who doesn't start off as cold and dismissive toward Shep. Also, the third game has now-Councilor [[The Ass In Ambassador|Udina]], after being such a dismissive jerk in the previous game, being surprisingly supportive and polite toward Shepard... {{spoiler|only to [[Face Heel Turn|orchestrate an attempted Cerberus coup of the Citadel later on]], resulting in his death at Shepard's hands. Though even then, he pulled the attempted coup because he felt that Cerberus were willing to help him save Earth's people where the Council apparently weren't}}.
* Miles Edgeworth from the [[Ace Attorney]] series goes from being the ruthless Demon Prosecutor, concerned only with maintaining his perfect prosecution record even through shady means, to pursuing the truth for truth's sake and being a genuine friend and ally to Phoenix, Maya, and others (most notably, {{spoiler|making an impromptu international flight and taking on the role of defense attorney - something he could get into trouble for if caught - simply because Phoenix needed him}}). By the time we see him in [[Ace Attorney Investigations Miles Edgeworth|his most recent appearance]], he's willing to risk loss of career and arrest in order to help Kay Faraday.
 
 
== Webcomics ==
* Karkat in ''[[Homestuck]]'' becomes less of a [[Troll]] and more interested in the success of his prior antagonists. And if he's not a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]], at least he's a shrewd enough leader to know when to play [[Team Mom]] for the other trolls.
** John, too. As he becomes more of a [[The Messiah|Messiah]] -- especially when contrasted with the other kids' [[Character Development]], which often took them in darker directions -- it can be hard to remember that this is the same guy that who, in his first pesterlog, responded to Dave's gleeful discovery of a bottle of apple juice by joking that it might actually be full of pee.
{{quote| {{color|#0715cd|EB: all im saying is don't you think monster howie mandel has the power to do something as simple as reseal a bottle?}}<br />
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== Western Animation ==
* Stan Smith from ''[[American Dad (Animation)|American Dad]]''. He still has his Jerkass moments, but the show's [[Character Development]] did him a lot of good.
** The large majority of the Smith family have gone in a similar direction to a lesser extent (par Roger who [[Took a Level In Jerkass|swerved several times in the opposite direction]], likely to balance the more sympathetic characters by acting as a [[Token Evil Teammate]].
** The episode ''Frannie 911' revolves around this trope, in which Roger tries to be nicer so he can win back the family's love. However, it turns out that being nice is lethal for Roger's kind, and has to be a jerk if we wants to live.
*** Even Roger seems to be getting ''slightly'' tamer. While he still has a few highly malicious moments, he does on occasion show genuine sympathy to the other Smiths (particularly Stan) and even shows capability of learning a Aesop (something he was previously [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Jerk|completely incapable of doing]]). At the very least he doesn't seem quite as outspokenly callous as he was in the third and fourth season.
* Stewie Griffin from ''[[Family Guy]]'', combined with some [[Badass Decay]]. Still, it's interesting to watch how the original [[Token Evil Teammate|"evil" character]] become much kinder while his family [[Took a Level In Jerkass]].
** Meg similarly is far less [[Bratty Teenage Daughter|bratty and self centered]] in recent seasons, if perhaps only because [[Butt Monkey|she's so desperate for affection]].
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* Agent Six in ''[[Generator Rex]]'', in the episode "String Theory" where the seemingly mindlessly loyal agent actually defused the nuclear bomb rather than allow millions of innocents to die.
** Cemented later in "Promises promises" when we see how much he had to do with Rex being accepted by the group.
* Due to [[Heel Face Turn|Heel Face Turns]], Kevin Levin in the ''[[Ben 10 (Animation)|Ben 10]]'' metaseries, and later {{spoiler|Charmcaster. To say nothing of the entire Highbreed species...}}
* While more a difference in interpretation than a canonical evolution in personality, Eeyore in Disney's ''[[Winnie the Pooh]]'' [[Animated Adaptation|Animated Adaptations]] was given a much gentler persona in comparison to his original novel counterpart. This evolved to the point that [[The Eeyore|Eeyore]] is distinguished as one of the most recognisable [[The Woobie|Woobies]] in [[Western Animation]].
* Buford from ''[[Phineas and Ferb]],'' who was a bully in his first appearance, a [[Punch Clock Villain]] in his second, and afterward only makes token attempts to pretend he doesn't like everybody else.
* Film historian Leonard Maltin notes that when [[Mickey Mouse]] first arrived on the screens, he was hardly a model of good behaviour. Mickey soon evolved into [[The Everyman]], with the [[Jerkass]] torch being passed to [[Donald Duck]].
* June from ''[[Ka Blam!]]'' became this in season four. She still had some cynical moments, but she became a lot nicer.
* [[Alpha Bitch|Heather]] from [[Total Drama Island]] used to be a mean [[Jerkass]], but due to all the [[Laser-Guided Karma|hell that]] people put her through, she suddenly changes to be nicer, starting with the [[Unpopular Popular Character|unlucky Cody]].
* In ''[[Regular Show]]'', [[Fat Idiot|Muscle Man]] has undergone this. Formerly a [[Jerkass]], he's become a [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]] who views Mordecai and Rigby as friends.
** [[Running Gag|You know who else views Mordecai and Rigby as friends?]]
* [[Looney Tunes|Yosemite Sam]] goes from mean in the original shorts to nice in ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]''.
* In the [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]] episode ''Hurricane Fluttershy''--three episodes after we see Angel Bunny at his nastiest--he's comforting a distraught Fluttershy and helping her improve her flying.
** Two possible sources of this: The aforementioned episode featuring an especially nasty Angel was also the one in which Fluttershy {{spoiler|learned to put her hoof down. We see her using a controlled version of her stare on Angel at the end of that episode, which softens him up significantly and instantly.}} Additionally, it has been hinted at before that Angel, despite his jerky nature, genuinely cares for Fluttershy, almost as if he feels that he is the only one who should be allowed to be cruel to her.
 
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